The present disclosure herein relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device and an apparatus for fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a magnetic memory device and an apparatus for fabricating the same.
With electrical products now having even higher speeds and lower consumption power, semiconductor memory devices built therein may now also require faster write/read operations and lower operation voltages. To satisfy such needs, magnetic memory devices have been proposed for use as semiconductor memory devices. As magnetic memory devices can operate at high speeds and have non-volatile characteristics, they may become the next-generation memory device.
In general, magnetic memory devices may include a Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ). The magnetic tunnel junction may include, for example, two magnetic materials and a tunnel barrier pattern interposed therebetween. The resistance value of a magnetic tunnel junction may depend on the magnetization directions of the two magnetic materials. For example, the magnetic tunnel junction may have a relatively high resistance value when the magnetization directions of the two magnetic materials are anti-parallel to each other, and have a relatively low resistance value when the magnetization directions of the two magnetic materials are parallel. Magnetic memory devices can write/read data using the difference between such resistance values.